1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electric vehicle performance monitoring systems and more particularly to a system for measuring the performance of an electrically powered vehicle by providing a number of sensors within the vehicle; collecting the data from the sensors through a data acquisition system; storing, evaluating and providing reports of the data through a processing unit; and displaying data to the vehicle operator through a digital and bargraph dashboard display.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known that various sensors, data collection equipment and meters can be used to measure the performance of a motor vehicle. Van Ostrand et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,357, disclose a vehicle monitoring system used in testing vehicle performance characteristics. The Van Ostrand et al monitoring system comprises distance and fuel sensors, a computer for calculating performance characteristics from data supplied from the sensors, digital displays and analog outputs. The system is an example of those having the operator displays separate from the standard instrument cluster, or dashboard displays. Fuel-mileage computers, as disclosed in Watson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,549,868, have been incorporated into dashboard displays, but have been limited in the performance characteristics being monitored. The Van Ostrand et al system and the Watson fuel-mileage computer are examples of prior art vehicle monitoring systems developed for use in internal combustion engine vehicles. Such monitoring systems are normally powered by the vehicle battery which can be charged by operation of the internal combustion engine. The need for minimizing power draw from the battery is not critical to the functioning of the vehicle.
In an internal combustion engine vehicle, information from such instrumentation as fuel gages, speedometers and the like is displayed to the vehicle operator in an instrument cluster, or dashboard. When an electric vehicle (EV) is built using an internal combustion engine chassis as a base, the standard internal combustion instrument cluster or dashboard is already in use. For an EV, some of this information, such as fuel level, is unnecessary and needs to be replaced. Those instruments inappropriate for use with the EV are disconnected, but typically left in place. The EV instrumentation displays, typically including a voltmeter and a current meter, are usually mounted to the side of the existing dashboard near the radio or glove compartment of the vehicle. These separate devices do not present the vehicle operator with the salient information in a convenient location for safety and ease of use. The disadvantages are twofold: (1) the driver must take his/her eyes off the road long enough to focus on small instruments located in an unconventional area, and (2) prime locations on the dashboard are assigned to non-functional instruments. Further, such instruments do not record data in a standardized repeatable manner. Rather they serve only to display the analog signals received from sensors in the vehicle and cannot be used as a vehicle monitoring system.